JLPT N5 vocabulary, and how to remember it

First, a word about lists

There is no official published JLPT N5 vocabulary list. The organisers stopped releasing them years ago, so every list you find online, including this one, is reconstructed from past exams and common beginner material. The widely cited figure is around 700 to 800 words for N5. Treat any list as a well-informed guide, not an exact syllabus, and do not panic about covering every last entry.

The list below is a starter, not the whole set: a few dozen of the most useful, highest-frequency words, grouped so they are easier to learn together. You can build your own cards straight from it.

Greetings and everyday expressions

People

Numbers one to ten

Time

Common verbs (dictionary form)

Common adjectives

Question words

The part most lists skip: remembering it

A list is the easy half. Reading a word once does almost nothing; you will have forgotten most of these by next week unless you review them on a schedule. This is exactly what spaced repetition is for, and a few principles make it far more effective:

• Learn in small, themed batches. Five to ten related words at a time, like the groups above, stick better than a random scramble.
• Review on a curve, not all at once. See a word again just before you would forget it. A good system schedules that for you so you never re-drill what you already know, and never lose what you almost forgot.
• Add an example sentence once a word is sticking. A word inside a sentence is anchored by grammar and context, which is how it becomes usable rather than just recognisable.
• Tie new words to kanji gradually. Learn the spoken word first, then attach the written form, rather than trying to do both cold.

Frequently asked questions

How many words do you need for JLPT N5?

Roughly 700 to 800 is the figure usually cited. Because there is no official list, that is an estimate; focus on high-frequency everyday words and you will cover most of what appears.

Is there an official JLPT N5 vocabulary list?

No. The test organisers stopped publishing vocabulary lists, so every list online is reconstructed from past exams and common materials. Use them as guides rather than a definitive syllabus.

Do I need to know kanji for N5?

Only a small set, around 100 of the most basic characters, and many beginner words are written in kana anyway. Learn the words first; let the kanji follow.